Authorities investigate Missouri snake breeder's death

NEW FLORENCE, Mo. (AP) — Authorities are investigating the death of a Missouri snake breeder who was shot several times by an intruder.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/2ry8p4y ) reports that Montgomery County Sheriff Matthew Schoo says 29-year-old Benjamin Renick was found last week near several hundred caged snakes inside his business, Renick Reptiles.

He specialized in breeding designer pythons at the business that he ran out of a building near his home. He sold the nonvenomous snakes nationwide.

The initial report was that he may have been killed by a large snake that was on the loose, although that's not what happened. Schoo said people of interest had been identified but offered few details.

Renick's father was a pet food manufacturer who killed himself in 2012 after federal authorities accused him of mishandling investor funds.

Scott Heatherly, 50, of Arnold, is charged with second-degree assault and first and second-degree property damage. Arnold Police say the charges stem from an assault which appears to have been brought on by road rage Friday night and was caught on surveillance camera.

Scott Heatherly, 50, of Arnold, is charged with second-degree assault and first and second-degree property damage. Arnold Police say the charges stem from an assault which appears to have been brought on by road rage Friday night and was caught on surveillance camera.